1965 Maserati Mistral Coupe

The Mistral followed the well-loved 3500GT, moving the goalposts along the way. Tipo AM109 was a 2-seat coupe or Spyder assembled by Maserati between 1963 and 1970. The body was styled by Pietro Frua and made by Maggiora in Turin, bodies being delivered to Maserati's factory in Modena. Just under 1,000 Mistrals were made in eight years and named after a cold, northerly wind that blows across the south of France.

This Mistral has the familiar Maserati 3.7-liter DOHC inline 6-cylinder, 250 horsepower with Lucas fuel injection, with a 5-seep ZF transmission. Girling four-wheel disc brakes complete the specification. Named for the northerly wind in southern France, the Mistral was unveiled in November 1963 at the Turin Auto Show with either a steel or lightweight alloy body crafted by Maggiora pinned to Maserati's Grand Prix-derived double-overhead-camshaft, straight-six engine. Maserati won eight Grand Prix between 1954 and 1960 using this engine and facilitated Fangio's F1 World Championship in 1957.

This example is one of 27 built with the early 3.5 liter, 235 horsepower engine, and was equipped with fuel injection, a five-speed transmission, and power-boosted disc brakes. This alloy example has been fully restored by its owner at his private Monterey airport facility.